Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: warpthrone on February 17, 2009, 12:32:34 PM
-
with the possible exception of the Ibanez JEM series do people actually buy these things? Most are very expensive, and really you are just paying for a guys name at the top of the neck. Any guitarist that what to spend that much money on a guitar normally is looking for there own sound than trying to copy someone else's.
There are a lot of signature models floating about but you never really see anyone play them, it seems a bit odd. It would be interesting to know how many people actually own a signature model and if they use them or not.
-
I don't know if Gibson sell many of those Les Paul models...
He really hasn't had too many hits recently....
(sorry mate - deliberately being an ass and pointing out the obvious) :lol:
-
My most prized guitar is a signature. Prized because it was the first of many awesome guitars I own. And also because my dad bought it for me which I'll never forget :)
Plus I own an Ibanez MTM2.
-
i have an Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul, but i didn't get it because of mr Wylde! actually, the fact that it was one of his nearly stopped me. not that i've anything against him, but basically for the reasons you've given. however, it had been quite heavily modded before i got it, which was the reason i went ahead. it has a set of BKP Crawlers with coil split, a Stetsbar Vibrato, Grover locking tuners and very cool spring loaded momentary kill switch. it also plays very nicely and sounds great.
i do play the guitar quite a bit, but must admit i would feel a bit odd about playing it in front of people. it's appearance does create an expectation which isn't what would be coming out of the speakers!
coincidentally, i also have a Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah. again, not because of Zakk. this time i tried a number of wahs and simply preferred it. no one can see it so i don't feel self concious about it.
-
I guess people do buy them, There is also that thing about people not buying guitars because they have a certain name stuck on them (cough Herman Li's E-GEN) even though the specks pretty good (it's got a freaking monkey grip!). People will think your a poser.
-
I guess people do buy them, There is also that thing about people not buying guitars because they have a certain name stuck on them (cough Herman Li's E-GEN) even though the specks pretty good (it's got a freaking monkey grip!). People will think your a poser.
Sure enough the money these days for signatures (exc. mine) you might as well get your own signature, i.e. custom
-
i think the zak wylde les paul is a good example of what a signature should be... it offers something different to whats usually available with features that will appeal to more players than just zak fans... in particular i am talking about the maple neck. My cousin got a brand new one to refinish just because the guy that brought it was desperate for a maple necked les paul.
so yeah, i am for them if they offer a useful feature you cant normally get on that style of guitar... and (unlike the ZW LP) they are not obviously emultating some gimmicky look from the endorsee
-
wez is spot on, the satin maple neck is lovely! and very different from the stickier lacquered mahogany on my Gibson Les Paul. it definately adds some zing to the sound too. i did toy with the idea of a re-finish to the top, but i actually like the bullseye look, and i'm sure i can overcome my embarrassment!
-
Hmm, I have some Black Label EVM12L speakers, although I didn't get them because they were 'signature'... I also have a 5150-II, but I'm guessing we're not counting Eddie, as his signature appears to be on everything these days...
Come to think of it, most of the stuff he's got his name on is precisely what you're talking about!!
But no, I'm not interested in signature stuff for signature's sake. I buy gear to get to a tone that's in my head.
Roo
-
Gretsch sells tons of 6120 Setzer Signature models and Hot Rods.
-
I have a Fender Robert Cray Standard Strat.
I bought it not because I'm a fan of Mr Cray (fine chap though he may well be), but because I wanted a hardtail Strat with a fat neck. It's a very nice guitar, much better than any other MIM Strat I've owned or played.
But generally, I'd never buy something because it had someone's name on it - and sometimes it would be enough to actually put me off.
-
I used to own a Reb Beach and a Paul Gilbert series Ibanez. Not bad, but me senses a George Lynch model of some description! PDT_009
Signature Amps also work trumps, Engl Blackmore!
-
personally, no, but i'm sure other people do.
-
I used to own a Reb Beach and a Paul Gilbert series Ibanez.
I'd love to have had a Koa Reb Beach model. Really nice guitars.
-
Some signatures are really nice, expensive, but nice. I hate it when they put their band logos on them though.
-
I certainly wouldnt be tempted to buy any signature guitar for the fact that they are "signature", but if the guitar is all nice, then i could oversee that its a signature, so signature is really just a "minus" (even bigger turnoff if i dislike the guitarist). Buying something just because your favourite artist uses seems silly to me, but on the other hand, i do think i could consider some kind of Tony Iommi Signature, but big part because i love SGs, his SGs are pretty awesome looking, so, why not?
But then again, i have a nice Gothic Warpig SG made by Feline on its way which fills that spot :grr: :guitar4: But it kinda depends on the features on it, if it has something really cool or unique i could be interested, like the Fender Yngwie Malmsteen signature that has a scalloped board all over, that would be fun to give a try, but wouldnt buy it just like that, i guess i might aswell get some other scalloped, but you get the point!
Usually sigs are way more expensive aswell, just because they are related to a famous artist :non:
-
Crawlers and Rebel Yells are awesome...
-
I have a Charvel EVH guitar, the black and yellow striped one. My reasoning for getting it was partly practical and partly nostalgic. My practical reasons were I wanted a classic single humbucker super strat with an unfinished neck and I loved the profile of the neck on other EVH guitars I'd tried in shops. I also wanted a Floyd Rose and have it set up flat against the body of the guitar - no routing out underneath it. The Charvel fit that bill perfectly.
My nostalgic reason was that the bumblebee Charvel was the first guitar I remember seeing as a child and sticking in my mind as an instrument in its own right and so to have a chance to have something similar was not to be passed up. I also bought it at a time whe the pound was so massively in our favour that it wasn't an expensive instrument regardless of whose name was or wasn't on the headstock.
Now obviously I'd never gig the guitar (rather too much to live up to) but for home versions of the Van Halen classics it puts a grin on my face every time I pick it up and that's what I play the guitar for.
-
Anything with Dimebag or Wylde written on it sells by the bucketload.
Generally, if the player is someone who appears on the front cover of Kerrang with any regularity and their signature stuff is priced in the reach of the youngsters that most often buy that mag, then they'll do well. The Schecter Avenged Sevenfold stuff, for instance.
-
I had an Ibanez PGM just because I thought it looked quirky.
Dunlop Slash wah for the built in boost (pile of shite)
EVH Phaser just cos it was striped and someone else was paying lol
-
I have a US PRS Tremonti II, but I would have bought it irrespective of whether or not it had his name on the headstock (trussrod cover to be accurate, which is of course removable). I bought it because it sounded great (to me) and played really well (for me).
I'm also currently looking at getting a Jim Root Tele - again, nothing to do with the name on it - I'm after a mahogany bodied guitar with a quick neck, no frills and 2 humbuckers. If they still made the Flathead Teles, I'd likely be going for one of those.
I will, of course, admit to liking the playing of both the guitarists I've mentioned. However, I love Joe Bonamassa's playing too, but I wouldn't buy one of his sig LPs because there's too much about it that doesn't suit me, and I think (purely personal opinion) that it's a bit pricey. :)
-
I had a US VooDoo Strat, not because of any Hendrix fanboi-ism, but because it was a great snarling beast of a thing. Damn the bloody rent bill that had me sell it, too.
-
ive got a jackson jj1 - scott ian sig. not really a big name compared to dimebag or EVH, so people dont even know its a signature model.
im a big anthrax and SOD fan, but thats not my reason for buying, saw it in a shop used for a steal so picked it up and it was extrememly nice to play. a couple of years later the other guitarist in my band bought one, so now i dont use mine as much live cos we'd look like a couple of eggs playing identical guitars.
-
I did once - one just like this
(http://www.ibanezregister.com/images/groups/kosaku%20nakamura/ibanez-ps10-II.jpg)
-
If it is decent gear then I wouldn't let someone else's signature on it put me off but I don't go out looking for such stuff.
-
I used to own a Reb Beach and a Paul Gilbert series Ibanez.
I'd love to have had a Koa Reb Beach model. Really nice guitars.
I would've if it didn't have EMGs. Still, trying to find one to test out is a mean feat!
-
I would get one if it appeals to me.
I really liked the ESP/LTD Alexi Laiho in pink, but the price tag IMO was too high in the shop I saw it.
But I would never buy a JEM or JS or Zakk Wylde sig really, since everybody would kind of expect you to play something from them or at least in the style. Plus, how hard is it to put EMGs into a LesPaul? ;-)
That said I have a George Lynch baritone signature. I actually downloaded George Lynch songs just to know whose guitar I was buying (and ended up buying the Lynchmob Revolution album). There just wasn't any similar guitar anywhere available.
I also have a 5150 (which I don't consider a signature amp, a sig Van Halen amp would always be a Marshall to me), a Dunlop Crybaby from Hell, a George Lynch Morley Wah and an EVH Phaser.
In a way you can't avoid this endorsement cr@p going on today - it's just everywhere. I really want a Zakk Wylde Overdrive and the Slash Wah, haha.
-
Theres definately a few different tiers of sig stuff
theres the cheap kerry king stuff aimed at 14 year old fanboys who cant play, then theres the expensive as stuff like that yngwie strat for 8k, aimed at the 40 year old fan boys who dont play anymore.
but then some stuff is actually pretty good, i would prefer things that arent an obvious signature range, since yeah like a ZW,Dime, EVH or JEM, its a bit too full on, just totally linked to that player, whenever i see horrible metal bands rocking dean ml lightning bolts i feel ashamed for living in the same town as those people.
if it was a great guitar that was a sig model of someone i couldnt stand i probably wouldnt go near it. but have no problem with mine since a lot of people dont know scott ian, or wouldnt ever link his sig guitar to him without actually knowing
and yeah, got a 5150 which i dont consider a signature amp, even though my one has the sig on the front.
-
I have an Ibby PGM, mainly because I wanted a fixed bridge RG with a maple board. Other aesthetic bonuses as far as I'm concerned are: the volume knob placement (hate having knobs and switches in the way of my picking hand), the extremely comfortable neck, and the looks.
The fact that I like Paul Gilbert didn't really play any major role in the decision process, but it would have been a much harder purchase to justify to myself if it was the signature model of a player I disliked.
I also considered getting Jim Root tele for a fair while, purely on the basis of the specs. Still think they're very cool guitars actually, though the volume knob placement is a deal-breaker for me..
-
yo!
Id say, when some signature stuff is just about looks and the benefit of it is just to emulate whoever than i dont see that much of a point. ive sold old SG's to guys who play in AC/DC cover bands, but in that situation i guess you're trying to find someone elses tone rather than your own.
I owned a 6505, which technically isnt a sig amp at all! but yeah, enough people use 5150's that you forget its history. the 5150mkIII on the other hand is a bit different.
I use a Dimebag sig Crybaby from hell. simply because it has the LED status lights at the heal, so you can tell when its on, and the Q select, and varible forward and back sweep with variable gain if i want it. super versatile. I do like Pantera but if a wanted a wah that did the same things and i didnt want the CFH logo on the skateboard grip tape or the camo finish id probably struggle.
-
my first decent guitar was a mexican Richie Sambora Strat (2nd Hand) i bought it because it instantly made me think of classic 80's Heavy Metal, if the floyd hadn't been rusted (didn't inspect the guitar when buyin) i would still have it, sounded great.
-
I'm actively considering a Kerry King Marshall due to local difficulty/expense in obtaining a straight, no messing JCM800 with KT88's. I'm no real fan of the actual Signature Features, though, I'm pretty much ignoring them to get what I want.
-
I've made some signature stuff - not for anyone famous but for regular players who decided to have a guitar made to their specs and personalise it with a motif or signature.
One guy even went on to start his own company selling versions of the guitar we built for him
This is the Mk 3 prototype of the Grollman Guitars Ursa Major (wasn't called that when we made them )
I built this one for myself at the time as the design worked pretty well in a lot of ways.
It's loaded with BKPs now!
(http://www.felineguitars.com/guitar_images/Grollman%20-%20Prototype/Gollman%20Prototype.jpg)
-
i sometimes wonder about a malmsteem strat. to experiment with scalloping and curious about the dimarzios in it too. bit expensive for a random punt though.
i recently got a mxr flanger to sound a bit van haleny, but i deliberately didn't get the evh sig one - clearly signature models can backfire. i'd hate to turn up to a gig with ANY evh, zw or kk motified gear.
i have a phil hilborne treble booster, which is a great upgrade over the standard unit with a vox cut control.
would probably buy a zw or kh EMG pickup set if i needed that tone
already have a steve stevens signature pickup :) (which is not loaded in a guitar right now)
-
i sometimes wonder about a malmsteem strat. to experiment with scalloping and curious about the dimarzios in it too. bit expensive for a random punt though.
I've got a DiMarzio HS-3 (and an HS-2, irrelevantly). They're not bad pickups, by any means, but I sometimes get the feeling Yngwie's the type of player who gets his tone despite his gear, not because of it.
Or in other words, he's one of those "always sounds like him regardless of the equipment" players.
-
I'm actively considering a Kerry King Marshall due to local difficulty/expense in obtaining a straight, no messing JCM800 with KT88's. I'm no real fan of the actual Signature Features, though, I'm pretty much ignoring them to get what I want.
You aren't the only one. I'd like one of those too!
-
my 2205 has KT88's. it has some piggy-backed resisters inside. thats all.
i imagine its an easy mod to do. doesnt have a noise gate circuit though and it probably isnt voiced the same.